Governing Bodies

UEFA LOOKING INTO ONE-WEEK CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OPTION

Published

5 years ago

April 18, 2020

UEFA is working on a proposal that could see the remainder of the Champions League condensed into a week-long mini-tournament, with the final taking place on Aug 29 in Istanbul.

Football, as with most sports around the world, has been brought to a standstill by the coronavirus pandemic, with all major European leagues suspended.

The Champions League and Europa League are also stalled at the round of 16.

According to the BBC, UEFA wants the Europa League final to be held in Gdansk, Poland on Aug 26, with the Champions League final to be played three days later.

The Champions League final was originally scheduled for May 30 and the Europa League final was due three days earlier.

The European football governing body is considering two options, one of which is to hold the remainder of the Champions League quarter-finals – only four sides have reached the final eight – and semi-finals across two legs in July and August.

This would, however, only be possible if domestic leagues restarted by June.

The second option is to play the remaining Champions League ties as one-off fixtures after the domestic seasons, while the remainder of the competition will be played out over the course of a week.

Both options will be discussed at UEFA’s executive committee meeting next Thursday, the BBC added.

The Europa League is a trickier proposition, given that the first leg of the last-16 ties featuring Italian sides have not even been played.

There are also a myriad of other challenges yet to be solved – one-legged ties must be staged at neutral venues, which are yet to be found, while there are worldwide travel restrictions in place.

Clubs also have to accept a loss in revenue if games are reduced and broadcasters must agree to air fewer live games than contractually stated.

As such, pundit Jamie Carragher has urged UEFA to consider striking a compromise by “giving up” a competition to give domestic leagues the best possible chance of concluding the season.

“Something has got to give at some stage, maybe a competition this season or next has to be taken out of the calendar to free up space,” the former Liverpool defender told Sky Sports yesterday.

“There’s been a lot of semi-decisions… it almost felt like it was buying time, but you have to get to the crux of the problem and make a decision now on this season and next.

“Cup competitions are more at risk than leagues. With the Champions League, I don’t think there’s any way if any league starts you can have it in the middle of that.

“League games will be so spaced together it feels like Europe will need its own situation now. Everything is going to get pushed back… so it feels like European competitions need to become a mini-tournament separate from the leagues.”

-Reuters

Governing Bodies

Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council

Published

19 hours ago

April 26, 2025

Kunle Solaja

Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.

The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.

Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.

He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.

An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.

He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.

“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”

Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.

“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.

He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.

“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.

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Governing Bodies

Ex-FIFA Council member and Mali football chief released from jail

Published

4 days ago

April 23, 2025

Kunle Solaja

A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.

Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.

He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.

The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.

He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.

Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.

While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.

-Reuters

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Governing Bodies

Nigeria Football Federation denies owing late national captain and coach, Chukwu

Published

2 weeks ago

April 14, 2025

Kunle Solaja

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports of an outstanding debt to former captain Christian Chukwu and has challenged anyone with verifiable documents to prove otherwise.

Chukwu, a former national team captain and chief coach, died last Saturday.

The Nigeria Football Federation decried statements in a section of social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to the deceased.

Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF owed the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.

“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.

“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that the ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”

Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.

“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”

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